GDHQNBA15_2pg-Detroit Pistons

Boston Celtics Gameday HQ

EASTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
Detroit
There was a lot of optimism surrounding the Pistons at the start of last
season. Andre Drummond had burst onto the NBA scene as a poor
man’s Dwight Howard, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and throwing
down powerful dunks. Greg Monroe had established himself as a very
solid low-post scorer and overall player. General manager Joe Dumars
added free agents Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings to the mix, giving
the Pistons a collection of talent worth getting excited about.
With that in mind, the Pistons had a very disappointing season. The
players they accumulated were never able to work well together,
particularly on the defensive end. Smith was a poor fit at small forward
and Jennings had a miserable season at point guard. The Pistons ended
up limping to a 29-53 record, costing Dumars and head coach Maurice
Cheeks their jobs.
Defense
One of the most important things to keep in mind when building
an NBA team is that the players a team acquires need to work well
together. The idea of having Drummond, Monroe, and Smith in the
lineup might sound great, given how talented each of those individual
players are. Together, they were a mess. This was most true on the
defensive end of the court, where the Pistons were one of the worst
teams in the League.
The problems started in the
backcourt, where guards like
Jennings and Stuckey simply did
not do a good job of staying on
their man. Picks were a major
obstacle for Detroit guards, and
it didn’t help when they played
rookie Kentavious Caldwell-
Pope or perennial reserve Will
Bynum. None of those guards
counts as a plus defender, and
that left a lot of messes for the
frontcourt to clean up.
That frontcourt wasn’t up
to the task. Drummond is a
tremendous athlete and a good
shotblocker, but is still learning
the nuances of post defense
and can get schooled from time
to time. Monroe is a mediocre
defender who isn’t particularly
good or bad. Smith is a power
forward who has been miscast
as a small forward. Smith
struggles to guard speedy wing
players, but that’s what he was
asked to do last season.
The results were not pretty.
Detroit allowed 104.7 points
per game to their opponents
on 47 percent shooting. Detroit
opponents shot well from
inside and outside, got to the
free throw line often, and were
able to move the ball without
much resistance.
New head coach Stan Van Gundy will have a challenge on his hands
getting the Pistons to play tough defense. The good news is that Van
Gundy plans to rotate big men Drummond, Monroe, and Smith, making
sure only two of them are on the floor at one time. That will free
players like Kyle Singler to play the small forward position, allowing for
better matchups and an expected improvement on defense.
Even so, the Pistons don’t have the personnel necessary to be a plus
defensive team. There’s no reason to believe that Jennings, Caldwell-
Pope, or new additions Jodie Meeks and Caron Butler will be able
to contain the guard play of opponents. Monroe and Drummond are
improving but still have a long way to go. There’s no one lockdown
defender on the roster, and that means defense will likely continue to
be a sore spot for the Pistons.
Andre Drummond
Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images